Odd Grace Community Worship Companion - Blue Christmas 2024
Sometimes the holidays hurt. Join us in a service of light for our longest nights as we remember those we miss this Christmas and honor our journeys toward healing and hope.
Liturgy1, announcements, and bonus content for Odd Grace Community’s 2024 Blue Christmas Service
Podcast Worship Leaders: Sar7ah “7” O’Riordan and Jena Newland
Biblical Text: John 1:1-5
Community responses are labeled C: and in Bold italics, text spoken by a worship leader or lector is labeled L:. suggested actions are in italics (Substack won’t let me use red)
Suggested Music: Song recommendations are based on theme, style, and theology and curated to lift up artists of color and those that are queer, trans, or LGBTQIA+ affirming. If you have songs you think work better, you’re probably right. Let us know.
Prelude:
Hymn for the Hurting, written by Amanda Gorman spoken by Seneca Holden (spoken word)
Kevin, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Leon Bridges (pop/hip-hop)
O Come O Come Emmanuel, Poor Bishop Hooper (sounds like a funeral derge)
Gathering Song:
Drive Out the Darkness, Porter’s Gate
O Come O Come Emmanuel, Ivhanna Gil (soulful)
Song of the Day:
Illuminate the Shadows, Porter’s Gate (soulful)
Christ, Be Our Light, Written by Bernadette Farrell covered by Ivhanna Gil & Jonatan Narvarez (hymn)
Christ as a Light, Liturgical Folk (folksy version of St. Patrick’s Breastplate)
Postlude:
When Death Dies, Gungor (indie, tear-jerker)
Hold On (Joy is Coming), Harlem Gospel Travelers (gospel, dance it out)
Let us know what worked and what didn’t oddgracecommunity@gmail.com. The first person to email me with a (non-theological) mistake, gets a reward in heaven. The first person to email me to argue does not.
Gathering
Prelude:
Hymn for the Hurting, written by Amanda Gorman spoken by Seneca Holden (spoken word)
Kevin, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Leon Bridges (pop/hip-hop)
O Come O Come Emmanuel, Poor Bishop Hooper (sounds like a funeral derge)
L: A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
(pause)
L: The Lord be with you
C: And also with you.
Land Acknowledgement:
L: “As we prepare for worship, you’re encouraged to reflect on the history of the land where you are. The land on which we are gathered for worship is the original and ancestral homeland of (name whose land you’re on) people. We give thanks for their presence here since time immemorial and wish to honor all of our indigenous siblings that have cared for this land and continue to call it home.2”
You can learn about the land you’re on here. Jena and I recorded on the original and ancestral homeland of the Miami, Shawnee, and Kaskaskia people.
Grounding practice: Box breathing into breathe prayers
Inhale 4 counts, hold 4 counts, exhale 4 counts, hold 4 counts
Inhale the peace the comfort and consolation of the Holy Spirit
Hold it in your heart
Exhale your worries, fears, and heartache
Leave it there
(Repeat)
Gathering Song:
Drive Out the Darkness, Porter’s Gate
O Come O Come Emmanuel, Ivhanna Gil (soulful)
Prayer:
L: Blessed is our God, light of the universe,
As present with us in gloom as joy
In sunlight or shadows.
C: Amen
L: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow, a light has shone. For the yoke that was weighing upon them, and the burden upon their shoulders, you have broken in pieces, O God, our Redeemer.
Let us pray - be with us, God, as we lay our heavy hearts bare before you. Speak peace to your people and comfort us in our grief, that your splendid grace and tender love may be a light in all the earth; through Jesus Christ,
who was,
and is,
and is coming soon.
Amen.
Word
Meditation:
L: During the liturgy of light and remembrance in our service, we’ll be using a response taken from the following reading from John chapter 1.
L: First, though, we’ll spend some time in contemplation with the reading. To start, try to focus on God’s love for you and delight in being with you. If that’s too hard, try imagining what it would be like to be loved by God so much that God was actually excited to spend time with you.
L: With that focus, listen as the passage is read. Pay attention for a word or image, phrase or idea that stands out to you. Sometimes people get anxious about doing this correctly. As long as you're trying, you’re doing it right.
Gospel Lesson: John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word
The Word was with God
And the Word was God
The Word was present to God from the beginning
Through the Word all things came into being
And apart from the Word
Nothing was made that has been madeIn the Word was life,
And that life was the light of all people
A Light that shines in the darkness
A Light that the darkness did not overcome3
L: Sit with that word, phrase, or image that came to mind. Try not to analyze it, but savor it, and imagine it sinking into the deepest part of you and resting there.
L: Be curious. What might God be telling you?
L: As you listen again, still focussing on God’s love, let your imagination engage the passage. What do you see? Or smell? Or Feel? How does your body feel? What sensations do you notice?
Repeat John 1:1-5
L: Take some time to reflect on what you noticed.
L: Talk to God about what came to mind, and how God might be inviting you to respond. Listen for the answer. You may find writing helpful.
L: When you’re ready to move on, thank God for this time together and ask for the Spirit to continue to illuminate God’s love.
L: If you’re gathered with others to pray, this would be a good time to discuss your experience. If you’re comfortable sharing it on our Substack, I’d love to know. If absolutely nothing happened and you found this practice to be weird and frustrating, that’s okay, too. Different practices work better for different people.
If you’re interested in learning more about this way of praying or would like to do more of it, Pray As You Go is an excellent resource, and their meditations are way better than mine.
Liturgy of Light and Remembrance: It’s suggested that you have four candles, plus one for each person that died this year that you want to remember.
The one leading each section will close with:
“We trust in your Word, We trust in your Light” and then together we’ll respond:
A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
First Candle:
L: We light this candle to remember those who have died this year. After each remembrance, we’ll pray together, saying “May perpetual light shine upon them”
L: We remember our loved ones. We take them by the hand and present them to God, entrusting them to eternal loving care. We invite you to name them aloud or in the silence of your hearts… (pause) loving God, we pray
C: May perpetual light shine upon them
L: We remember especially our loved ones lost this year to overdose, addiction, or mental illness: Jennifer, Mary, Fisk, Michael, Jess, Dan, Peyton, Jenny, Ricky, Tattoo Mike, Pickle, Tommy, Steve, Joe, Richard,… (pause) compassionate God, we pray
C: May perpetual light shine upon them
L: Nex Benedict was a non-binary, indigenous, 16 year old whose life tragically ended following a violent attack in their school restroom. We remember Nex and all of our queer, trans, and 2 Spirit siblings that lost their lives this year due to hatred and ignorance… (pause) God of justice, we pray
C: May perpetual light shine upon them
L: Our indigenous relatives go missing and are murdered at shockingly high rates. We remember Nex and all of our indigenous relatives that lost their lives this year. Creator, we pray…
C: May perpetual light shine upon them.
L: Our Black, African descent, and other siblings of color, immigrants, and those who are deemed “other” are also frequent victims of hatred and violence. We remember those that lost their lives this year… God that sees, we pray
C: May perpetual light shine upon them.
L: Gracious God, we give thanks for the lives of these precious ones and all they were to us. We entrust them to your loving care and ask you to save a place for us beside them. Take our sad and aching hearts and comfort us. Comfort us, in the hollowness and emptiness we feel. God of sorrowing, draw near!
Help us to find joy in the people, events and the beauty of nature which still surrounds us… We trust in your Word, we trust in your Light.
C: A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
Second Candle:
L: We light this candle for the pain of hardship and loss… Let us take a moment to remember our losses. We invite you to name them, aloud or in the silence of your hearts….
L: God of mystery, we turn our hearts to you. We come before you in need of peace, grateful for the mystery of life and ever keenly aware of your promises of guidance and protection. We want to place our trust in you, but our hearts grow fearful and anxious. We forget so easily that you will be with us in all that we experience. Help us to be patient with the transformation of our lives and to be open to the changes which we are now going through. We trust in your Word, we trust in your Light.
C: A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
Third Candle:
L: We light this candle for those who experience a loss of faith or direction in their lives… Your words to us are clear: “Do not fear, I go before you.”
L: God of our depths, we cry out to you, be with us, be our light. Hold us closely and guide us from within. Reassure us that we cannot stray so far that you can’t find us and you delight in our return. Remind us that you love our questions and we are on the right path. Take all that is lost in us and bring it home with you. We trust in your Word, we trust in your light.
C: A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
Fourth Candle:
L: The final candle we light as a symbol of our hope, the hope that the Light of Christ offers us. Each of us comes bearing our own burdens, sorrows, and broken places. We invite each of you to offer your own need to the God who loves each of us deeply, and is with us in our pain. God waits patiently, gently calling out: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (pause)
L: These lights in their brightness may only be symbols, but as they burn and finally go out, we remember that suffering passes, though memory remains. We remember that God, who shares our life, promises us a place and time of no more pain and suffering.
Revelation 21:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a lover adorned for their beloved. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
God will dwell with them;
they will be God’s peoples
and Godself will be with them and be their God
and wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
For the former things have passed away.”And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.”4
L: O God whose spirit is known by those whose hearts are thankful, and who makes cheerfulness a companion of strength, lift up our hearts, we pray, to a joyous confidence in your care. Guide us when we cannot see the way. Teach us to know that a shadow is only a shadow, because the light of eternal goodness shines behind the object of our fears. Where there is love in life, teach us to find it; help us to trust it and enable us to grow in the power of love. So may our lives bring comfort and encouragement to others. We ask it, in the name of Jesus Christ. We trust in your Word, we trust in your Light.
A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
L: This is the good news, Beloved. The Word became one of us, and moved into the neighborhood. We have seen his glory, his one-of-a-kind glory, full of grace and truth.
We are people well acquainted with darkness, and uniquely equipped to face the gloom present in the world and our lives. Remember that as God lights a candle in our darkness and holds us close until we are able to shine, we are also called to carry that light to others. None of us heals alone. We need each other. Hold each other in the darkness.
Together, we are a light that shines in the darkness, that the darkness cannot overcome. Amen
Song of the Day:
Illuminate the Shadows, Porter’s Gate (soulful)
Christ, Be Our Light, Written by Bernadette Farrell covered by Ivhanna Gil & Jonatan Narvarez (hymn)
Christ as a Light, Liturgical Folk (folksy version of St. Patrick’s Breastplate)
Response
Holy One, our only home
Blessed be your name
May your day dawn
Your will be done
Here, as it is in heaven
Feed us today
And forgive us
As we forgive each other
Be with us in times of trial
And rescue us from evil
For the glory
The power
And the mercy are yours
Now and forever
Amen
The Blessing of Naloxone:
We invite you to present your Naloxone kits for a blessing. We have lost so many. We refuse to allow their deaths to be in vain. We carry their memories as we carry these kits, and pray for a time when no one will have to feel the pain of the loss of a loved one to accidental overdose.
A blessing of Naloxone written by Dr. Sharon Fenneman and spoken by Minister Blyth Barnow
Creator of resurrection and light, we come to you with grateful hearts for all the ways your love continues to rise up in our midst. We give you thanks and praise for the Holy drug, naloxone, and the new life that it can bring.
We know that we need each other to survive, so we ask you to bless these kits, and all those who will use them, and all those who will be in need of them. Make them and us instruments of resurrection, that suffering will be released, that injury will be transformed, that joy will arise, that strength will take hold, that hope will take wing, and that death will yield to new life. Empower us to live into our vocations as people of resurrection, bringers of new life, proclaimers in word and deed of a new day rising. In the name of all that unfurls hope in our midst every moment, we pray. Amen.
Naloxone finder https://nextdistro.org/naloxone
Offering
Part of our response to God’s goodness is in the sharing of abundance.
Blyth has named Lifeline of Ohio as the organization she’d like people to donate to. Please give generously, and if you’re not able to contribute financially, please keep them and all in need of organ transplants in your prayers.
If you’d like to support Odd Grace Community, you can give at OldTrinity.com and select Odd Grace Community from the dropdown.
As we close our time of gratitude through generosity, please join me in the prayer that Jesus taught us. Please say whatever version of this prayer is most meaningful to you.
Holy One, our only home
Blessed be your name
May your day dawn
Your will be done
Here, as in heaven
Feed us today
And forgive us
As we forgive each other
Be with us in times of trial
And rescue us from evil
For the glory
The power
And the mercy are yours
Now and forever
Amen
Prayers of Intercession
L: In the spirit of this season, let us now confidently ask our God for all the things we need. We’ll close each petition with “Loving God, receive our prayer” and the community is invited to respond “And in your mercy, answer”
L: Let us pray –
We pray for ourselves, as we participate in this Christmas as unique people, coping with our many different losses. Loving God, receive our prayer.
C: And in your mercy, answer.
L: For our families and friends, that they may be well and continue to be a mutual support and help to us. Loving God, receive our prayer.
C: And in your mercy, answer.
L: For any person we have loved who has died, for all the losses we know in our lives, that all may be redeemed by your promise. Loving God, receive our prayer.
C: And in your mercy, answer.
L: For our family and friends, that you may bless them with love, peace, and joy. Loving God, receive our prayer.
C: And in your mercy, answer.
L: For all suffering from addiction or mental illness and those that love them, especially Chris S. and Chris V. May they know they are loved, may help be there at just the right time, and may they experience the gift of recovery. Loving God, receive our prayer.
C: And in your mercy, answer
L: For our neighbors that are exposed to the cold and don’t have enough food, that you may bless them with shelter, nourishment, and the dignity that comes with bearing Your image. Loving God, receive our prayer.
C: And in your mercy, answer
L: For other vulnerable communities, those that face discrimination and injustice, and those with chronic illness or pain, especially Miguel, Naomi, Shane, Jena, Temple… that community would rise up around them to protect them and carry them when they cannot carry on. Loving God, receive our prayer.
C: And in your mercy, answer
L: For peace throughout the world as proclaimed by the Christmas Angels on that faraway hillside, especially in Palestine and Israel. Loving God, receive our prayer
C: And in your mercy, answer
L: For greater understanding of the lessons of love and acceptance as taught by Jesus your Christ. Loving God, receive our prayer.
C: And in your mercy, answer.
L: God of great compassion and love, listen to the prayers of your people. Grant to all, especially the bereaved, lost, the hungry, and troubled ones this Christmas, this blessing we ask in the name of Jesus.
Sending
Announcements
Thank you for being with us for our Blue Christmas prayer service. We hope it was meaningful to you. People often struggle alone and in silence during the Holidays, so please forward or share it with anyone you think might find it helpful – personal invitations are far more effective than social media or other outreach we do.
Look for our next worship service in early January for Epiphany – we’ll be talking about journeys both in the metaphorical sense of spiritual seeking, wandering, and losing and finding faith – some things I know quite a lot about. As well as in the literal sense of physically traveling a really long way to find hope. I think Jena also promised to make King Cake for that feast day. We have lots of opportunities for service available – techy people and those interested serving as worship assistants in particular, email oddgracecommunity@gmail.com. We’d also love to hear from anyone trained in teaching contemplative practices that would like to share them with our community.
Don’t forget to subscribe to oddgrace.substack.com to be emailed when new services come out and get the Worship Companion with the liturgy, announcements, pet pictures, and other bonus content. The Worship Companion for this service has a link to a sad holiday playlist curated by Odd Grace Community members. Check it out to harshly judge our taste in music.
Grounding practice
Box breathing into breathe prayers
Inhale 4 counts, hold 4 counts, exhale 4 counts, hold 4 counts
Breathe in the hope of Christ’s coming
Hold it in your heart
Breathe out God’s love for the hurting
Leave it with them
(Repeat)
Blessing
God of endings and beginnings,
God in the darkness and the light,
God, our hope for the journey,
☩ bless and keep you now and forever.
Amen.
Dismissal
Go in peace. Prepare the way for Emmanuel.
C: Thanks be to God
Odd Grace Community is a ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church, which is a Reconciling in Christ Congregation in downtown Columbus, OH. You can learn more about Old Trinity at OldTrinity.com.
Bonus Content:
Left to right: Cyril (Tuxedo) AKA “Lucky Charms”, Methodius (maskless raccoon) AKA “Otis” or “Mount Odius”. They are twice this big now, but this was the last time they were still enough to be photographed. Which kitten do you think can be heard purring during the service? If you can tell me when he’s purring, I’ll send you a free Magnificat shirt or mug from Art of Marza.
Jena and Miguel’s dog “Chico” is the goodest boy and cannot be heard during the service.
Check out The Saddest Holiday Playlist Ever curated by Odd Grace Community Members.
Liturgy adapted from a Blue Christmas service written by Heather Hill. Original text https://youngclergywomen.org/blue-christmas-service-when-christmas-hurts/
Land acknowledgement guide created by Vance Blackfox https://resources.elca.org/ministries-of-diverse-cultures-and-communities/land-acknowledgement-guide/
This is my own translation influenced by The Inclusive Bible, NRSV, NIV, and MSG (and probably others)
I think this was mostly The Inclusive Bible, but with the NAME substituted